A Gallup analysis of 13 forward-looking
metrics finds that the West North Central, Pacific, and Mountain
regions are likely to be the best regions to live in in 20 years
— based on the strong economic, health, and community foundations
they are building today.

The ideal best place to live in in 2032 will have tackled
unemployment, financial worry, healthcare costs, obesity, and
education challenges to build a place where most residents are
healthy, optimistic, employed in good jobs that they love and
enthusiastic about their communities.

The West North Central region, which includes Minnesota, Iowa,
Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas, is
poised for the brightest future.

"The West North Central region, which includes Minnesota, Iowa,
Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas, is
poised for the brightest future."

Workers in this region are most likely to be employed full time
for an employer — the type of good jobs associated with high GDP
— and residents have the highest economic confidence in the
nation, setting the region up for a strong economic future.

Residents are also the least likely nationwide to report that it
is not easy for them to find clean, safe water, meaning they are
the best positioned to address one of the crucial resource
challenges of the future.

The Mountain region, which includes Montana, Arizona, Colorado,
Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and New Mexico, comes in second,
buoyed by the lowest obesity rate in the nation and the lowest
percentage of residents lacking safe places to exercise.

The Pacific region, composed of California, Oregon, Washington,
Hawaii, and Alaska, comes in a close third, with the lowest
smoking rate in the nation, the highest percentage of workers
saying their supervisor treats them like a partner, and the
highest percentage of residents who say they learn new and
interesting things daily.

It’s the combination of — or lack thereof — strong economics,
good health, and vibrant communities that positions these regions
for the future.

The East South Central region, which includes Kentucky,
Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi, trails on several of these
crucial metrics, performing the worst of the nine regions tested
overall.

People in this region are the least likely to be employed in good
jobs and to learn new and interesting things daily. Further, they
have the lowest economic confidence in the nation.

They are also the most likely nationwide to be obese, to smoke,
and to say it is not easy for them to find a safe place to
exercise. That’s an unhealthy combination for building a
productive, thriving society.

The findings are based on the results of nearly 480,000
interviews with U.S. adults conducted since early 2011 on the
following Gallup Daily tracking and Gallup-Healthways Well-Being
Index measures:

Full-Time Employment for an Employer: Gallup
finds that full-time employment, or "good jobs," with employers
is
linked to higher GDP and improved wellbeing. Regions that
can create these jobs and attract talented people to fill them
will be the best positioned for economic growth.

Economic Confidence Index: In regions where
there is higher economic confidence, residents are more
optimistic about where the economy is now and where it is
headed.

Job Creation Index: In regions with higher Job
creation Index scores, employees report much more hiring than
firing in their workplace, positioning the region for strong
economic growth.

Supervisor Relationship: A key element in work
environment wellbeing, being treated as a partner rather than
as an underling lays a foundation for higher employee
engagement and productivity, as well as better emotional and
physical health.

Standard of Living Optimism:Where people are more likely to say their
standard of living is getting better, there is often higher
economic confidence, lower unemployment, and higher life
evaluations.

City Optimism: Where people are more likely to
say their city or area is getting better as a place to live,
there is often lower unemployment, better environmental
quality, and greater satisfaction with the community as a place
to live.

Daily Learning: Learning something new and
interesting daily is an important psychological need and
one of the most prevalent attributes that people in
communities with high wellbeing have in common.

Easy Access to Clean, Safe Water:
Essential for human survival, safe water is closely linked
to the physical environment, many sectors of the economy,
and to community wellbeing.

Easy Access to a Safe Place to Exercise:
Communities with easy access to safe places to exercise
have lower obesity rates and fewer related chronic health
conditions, as well as lower per capita crime rates.

Obesity: Where there are more obese
people, mortality rates are higher, more people suffer from
chronic health conditions, and healthcare costs are higher.

Smoking:Where there are more smokers,
there are higher mortality rates, substantially higher
risks of coronary heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, lung
disease, heart disease, and aortic aneurysms, among other
cancers and conditions.

Beyond the overall rankings, there are interesting differences
from one metric to the next. The West South Central region, which
comes in fourth overall, has the highest Job Creation Index score
in the nation.

Residents are also the most optimistic about their standard of
living, with 53.9% saying it is getting better, compared with
30.0% who said it was getting worse — a difference of 23.9
percentage points.

This region also performs best in future life evaluations and
city optimism — meaning there is a lot of positive momentum.

But physical health is holding this region — and other regions —
back.

In this same West South Central region, obesity stands at a hefty
28.7%, second only to the 29.9% in the East South Central region,
and West South Central region residents are also the least likely
nationwide to have visited the dentist in the past 12 months,
setting it up for higher incidences of other conditions and high
healthcare costs in the future.

Likewise, 25.5% of people in the East South Central region are
smokers, compared with 16.4% in the Pacific region, setting up
the Pacific for significantly lower rates of lung cancer,
emphysema, and heart disease years down the road.

"1.1 million adults don’t have this key basic need met – at a
time when clean water is expected to become increasingly scarce
worldwide."

Then there’s water quality. The 6.0% of residents of the West
South Central region who say it is not easy for them to find
clean, safe water is more than twice the 2.9% of residents of the
West North Central region who say the same.

That’s a difference of 1.1 million adults who don’t have this key
basic need met — at a time when clean water is expected to become
increasingly scarce worldwide.

Workplaces are also a vital component of working Americans’
everyday wellbeing — and the economic energy of a community. Here
the Pacific region leads, with 58.1% of workers enjoying a
partnership with their supervisor that fosters productivity and
entrepreneurial spirit.

The Middle Atlantic region does worst on this metric and also has
the lowest city optimism and Job Creation Index score of all nine
regions.

But the fate of these communities is of course not yet sealed.
Any community that is able to create good jobs and more engaging
workplaces, while fostering better health habits and a sense of
optimism about the future still has a chance to be the best place
to live in 20 years.